Talent is defined as a “natural aptitude or skill”; which is wrong. Natural aptitudes are those traits that help sustain life. Talents are those aptitudes that one master to make life better. They are never imbibed through heredity but are mastered through training and effort to become skills. Talent is personal. Practising an attitude becomes a talent and perfecting a talent becomes a skill.
Skills provide for sustenance and improvement in life.
Humans are the only creatures that, knowingly, use their aptitudes to imbibe talents and through concerted efforts and make it a skill to support day to day life.
Unless a talent becomes a skill, it stays of no value to self or others. Talents cannot be taught, but skills can be.
Other animals do possess talents but those are limited to hunting prey. Skills are not natural; they are learnt, taught or forced upon. The environment of existence plays a large part in the development of skills, aptitude or talents, some of which are developed for the sheer purpose of sustaining the self. A skill forced upon becomes redundant due to lack of interest or need.
Unless a talent becomes a skill from practice and concerted effort talent goes waste.
It is when these talents, knowingly, are systematically practised constantly with a purpose that they become real skills. When talents are developed by diligent learning and by application of the knowledge they become skills. The realization that one does possess a specific talent is a prime in bettering it to skill, for unless a talent becomes a skill it stays introvert.
Bettering flair to talent and further to skill adds quality to life.
In any given situation in life, the self stands primary. ‘I should not lose’ is important. This can be strengthened by seeking facts that are relevant and applying them to good effect. Unless the self remains, nothing else matters. Daily life includes wakeful-hours and sleep-hours and is complimentary to sustenance and good living. One-third of dedicated living time for sleep goes a long way to longevity and good health. Sleep shall have to be wholesome. Sleepless application of talents rarely bears fruit.
A healthy body is a pre-requisite for using one’s talents.
To understand one’s flair, exposure to reality is inevitable. Reality is what is around us, the elements of life that we perceive; earth, air, water and fire. Understanding the goodness of life through these elements and the effective use and application of these elements is primary to the goodness of life. For the effectiveness of life and to use all talents, the elements play the master role. Wonton acts of man that vitiate the effectiveness of these elements cannot enable sustenance of life on earth.
Use talents and skills that foster the goodness of life by ensuring that the elements remain unhurt.
Once a specific talent is evident, honing it to perfection for good results becomes a necessity. Talent honed to perfection is a skill. Skill alone can be fruitful and can be derived from talent with due diligence of effort and patience. With time, flair can become a talent and with further training and tutelage could become a skill.
Tutelage and training thus prove to be the most essential components that transform talents into skills. A skilled person can train others, but talented persons cannot. Talented can exhibit but skilled can train.
To use a talent well, it is best advised to invest time and effort in specific learning and training that fosters specific skills. A talented person is one who understands the purpose of life, its meaning and benefit to self and others and most of all to generations to come.
Your habits are like the elements of nature, each one contributing to the ecosystem of my well-being. Thank you for the ecological wisdom.